Recording and/or reproducing apparatus of the type in which a disk cassette is loading into and unloaded from the apparatus are well known in the art. The disk cassette is of the type comprising a cassette housing containing a flexible magnetic disk. In such a conventional recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the magnetic disk is rotated at a high speed within the cassette housing, and at the same time a magnetic head is brought into contact with a magnetic surface of the magnetic disk while being moved in a radial direction of the magnetic disk to record or reproduce video, audio, or digital signals. Usually the disk cassette is held by a cassette holder and is moved together with the holder from a loading/unloading position to a recording position. When the disk cassette has been moved into the recording position, the magnetic head comes into contact with the magnetic surface of the magnetic disk to perform the recording or reproducing. The cassette is ejected by depressing an eject button which causes the cassette holder to rise via a pivoted cam member, for example, from the recording position to the loading/unloading position, where the cassette is ejected or unloaded from the cassette holder. U.S. patents in which such a conventional recording and/or reproducing apparatus is disclosed are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,593,327; 3,904,149; 4,257,075; and 4,573,093.
A serious problem presented by the disk cassette loading/unloading mechanisms incorporated in conventional recording and/or reproducing apparatus is that they are of complicated design and construction, containing many interacting parts requiring a high degree of precision in manufacture in order for the mechanisms to operate properly. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cassette loading/unloading mechanism for use in a recording and/or reproducing apparatus that is of simple design and construction, thoroughly reliable and efficient in operation, and economical to manufacture.
The prior known disk cassette loading/unloading mechanisms, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,593,327 and 4,120,012, for example, further had shutter opening apparatus incorporated therein adapted to be opened upon insertion of the cassette into the cassette loading/unloading mechanism. A serious problem presented by such cassette loading/unloading mechanisms is that in those situations in which the cassette or cassette holder are non-planar due to warping, bending or the like, it is possible for the shutter opening apparatus to malfunction due to improper engagement or disengagement of the cassette and shutter opening components of the mechanism. This can result in a failure to open the cassette shutter or shutter blades, and a consequent failure of the recording process and possible damage to the magnetic head assembly and other recorder components. Accordingly, an object of the present inventio is to provide a cassette loading/unloading mechanism with a cassette shutter opening apparatus that eliminates any malfunctioning of the shutter opening process. The mechanism is further of simple design and construction, thoroughly reliable and efficient in operation, and economical to manufacture.